I responded to you due to this: "some people pretend to care about music...others do" Maybe I took it a little more harshly than you meant it, but it sounds a lot like "if you are content to settle for mp3s, you don't actually care about music." Correct me if I completely misinterpreted you.

>However, I was talking about actually purchasing a tangible
>item verse just an mp3. it probably doesn't hurt that I'm a
>graphic design major so I appreciate the thought that goes
>into good packaging and really can't relate to someone who
>doesn't.

I'm with you there. I love packaging. (I do CD and 7 inch layouts for an independent label, too.)

>you really need something else to focus your brain power on if
>you're that concerned with proven *that* point.

I'm not really all that concerned, it's just something I think about idly when I'm bored at work. That said - if I had a lot more free time and someone had a good idea for how to conduct that kind of study, I'd probably do it, because I think it would be pretty interesting and enlightening. I feel like people are really psychologically susceptible to things they read about. The placebo effect, sort of. It would be interesting to me to find out if there's anything behind the standard audiophile hobby horses, or if they're bunk - or (more probably) if it's kind of a mix. My head won't explode if I never find out, though.

>There really are people who have that good of a musical ear
>and that can hear a difference. and to get upset about
>something you don't understand is nothing more than ignorant.

You seem to be misinterpreting my tone, like, a lot. I'm not upset. I'm barely invested. I just like talking about the subject since I spend a lot of time listening to music, and talking about it on message boards and whatnot. You can't post anywhere related to music without this subject coming up in one form or another.

Anyway, I do believe some people have a good ear. I also believe that most people who go on about these subjects probably don't have nearly as good of an ear as they think they do. I'm open to the possibility that I'm completely wrong though.

>I agree with this. And even though some people may just be
>saying it to say, I wouldn't be that dismissive to not believe
>that there are people out there who can and do hear the
>difference.

I'm not that dismissive.